Score Sees It All & Then Some
by AJ McKay
Summary: A story told by Score meant to make him think a little more on one uncertain friendship...


Author Notes: For the two other authors who have written a Diadem story, thank-you. You both have talent and I beg you two to keep writing.  
  
This story is pretty clean. PG-13 for nudity, mild language, and minor sexual content (mostly in the way people talk, no action is taken.) This story has no sex scenes in detail, but there is another Diadem fanfic called "The Book of Pixel" which goes into depth. If you are interested in that story I am positive that the author would love for you to read it. I myself have read it and enjoyed it. (*Hel picks up a nice large brown paper bag and set it on top of her head, if her friends realized the type of stories she takes guilty pleasure in...*)  
  
In all actuality I find a disclaimer almost unnecessary. If Mr. John Peel thought I was making any money off of this story he's got another thing coming. I am not a published writer, not even close, but of course any idiot does realize that Diadem belongs to John Peel and Scholastic Inc. The rest of us are just loonies who wished we had wrote the books and made all the money off of them.  
  
Enjoy my story!  
  
1 Diadem: Score Sees It All & Then Some  
  
1.1 By Hel  
  
  
  
"Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday..." the Earth-boy, Score, stopped by the steam and admired his handsome tanned face staring back at him. "...You gorgeous guy. Happy birthday to me."  
  
"Well, I'm a bit vain," Score said to no one in particular. "I'm also a bit out of tune." He shrugged, so what if he wouldn't make the list for choirboy anytime soon. When singing to yourself you had only a one person show to put on and Score decided he liked the way he sang.  
  
"Yes, you are, but I must admit you are right, you are one hot find for some luuucccckkkkky girl," Score answered himself. His face split into one big grin and he drawled on. Now you might think that he's gone a bit nuts, you know, transporting off Earth, meeting up with one blue skinned alien and another guy who was turned out to be a girl in disguise, killing monsters and insane wizards, meeting up with some bizarre mythological creatures, defeating your past life spirit, contracting some unknown disease brought upon by an insane wheelchair bound babe from Earth that almost killed him, and then traveling to a planet of nightmares to save the blue skinned freak friend's life. A walk in the park, piece of cake. All a day's work for a genuine, bonified hero. (If only Helaine and Pixel could get into his mind, *heh*.)  
  
Score by now was probably literally cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, one too many screws loose, wanted by the nice guys in white (Hel looks around nervously *sigh* she was just imagining things), he was the loose cannon, he was one pickle short of a dozen.  
  
To assure all readers out there, Score was not and is not crazy, but with the way his life has been going it might be not far into his future.  
  
The simple fact is that Score believed that if you talked to yourself and answered yourself you always got the answer you wanted. Most people would have told him he was a conceited, arrogant jerk. Well, then again not most people just Helaine and maybe a few other carefully selected stick up their ass people. No make that a log in Helaine's case, a really big log.  
  
Now don't get the wrong idea, even though Helaine and him fought so much he considered her like a sister, no erase that, like a brother, she could diffidently fight, wrestle, or do any such other manly sport a hundred times better then he could. Score truly and completely admired the hot-tempered girl. Not that tomorrow he would go up to her and tell her all that, but he figured she probably knew. Score, Helaine, and Pixel were three very different people, shoved together because of their past lives, and now they were the best of friends. What a nice sweet ever after. Hell no, Score and his homies were still plagued by the usual rampant group of evil-doers; witches with diabolical ideas of stealing everyone's toothbrushes, two-headed monkeys out for revenge on all blue skinned humans (watch out Pixel baby) and of course the occasional toad turned prince who had his sites on taking over the whole Diadem as we know it. Score had to admit that some of their adventures were a bit saner then the ones mentioned, but many were something that Steven King wouldn't have conjured in one of his loony books.  
  
It had been four years since Score had left Earth, never to return again and have the planet feel like his home. Today was Score's sixteenth birthday, as many of you have probably already guessed. He was happy, he knew that everyone had planned a birthday party for him that evening. It would be great.  
  
He had been to many planets and seen many things, but he still preferred Dondar to any other place. Him and his friends all lived in the castle that once had belonged to the power-hungry wizard, Mananki, but sadly the old dude was dead disintegrated to a small pile of dust. You might think this was cruel, but the guy was a diabolical evil maniac. Score never felt even a minute sorry for the guy. Anyway, Mananki had been a terrible decorator. It had taken almost a year for Score and the others to fix up the palace to their liking.  
  
Score had time to spare before the party so he had decided to take a walk through the wilderness of Dondar. He enjoyed walking by the river, the sound of the water swooshing by was relaxing, almost like a musical piece. It wasn't heavy metal, but it would have to do. Score didn't seem like the type of guy who liked nature walks, but if the walk included Elizabeth Hurley in a slinky red dress walking on the beach with him for a moonlight stroll, he would have to say that nothing was better then nature. Right now he was Hurley-less, but happy, peaceful.  
  
Score drifted off into a dream so when he came to a spot in the river where a figure was standing partially submerged in the water, he didn't give it another thought. He probably gave it even a first thought until too late.  
  
The humming is what got his attention and stirred the Earth boy from his thoughts. Score stopped abruptly and looked at the human figure more closely and realized something he should have realized much sooner.  
  
At first he didn't recognize the woman. She had long blonde hair wet and shiny from a submersion into the river water. Her long legs stretched out to reveal muscles and a slenderness that made them one pair of the most gorgeous looking legs Score had ever seen. She was nude like some fairy on the covers of those fantasy novels. Her breasts were round and full, not huge, but not petite. She had a slim waist and round hips with a nice pair of firm cheeks behind. Score fantasized about naked woman, he was a sixteen year old guy for crying out loud, but had never seen one so nude in all his life. It was a truly breathtaking experience.  
  
  
  
Score was shaken out of gaga-land when he finally noticed who the girl was, it was tough as shit, tomboy, sibling relationship, Helaine. Score all of a sudden had mixed emotions. He had never looked at Helaine as a beautiful, incredible sexy woman, which is exactly what she appeared as now. At that moment Score felt lust for a woman he had once thought of just a girl who was like an annoying sister he cared about, but never showed his feelings to.  
  
Score didn't know what to do. Clearly Helaine had not spotted him, or she would probably be screaming at him, so he did the smartest thing to do at a time like this, he ran, like a hare away from the hungry fox, he ran.  
  
  
  
*Open your presents, I can't wait any longer! * The unicorn shouted with her mind voice. Of course it was Flame, a good friend to the three teenagers. They had met her and her parents on their first trip to Dondar.  
  
"We have to wait for Helaine," Pixel said firmly, but nicely. Pixel was usually the perfect example of politeness and shyness, except around the people he knew well. In the last four years he had grown much taller, but he still hadn't bulked out. He wasn't a scrawny weakling, but a slender and graceful young man, sort of like a panther. Score that if the guy ever tried learning to fight he could be quite deadly.  
  
*She should hurry up, * Thunder snorted in his usual orny way. The others ignored him; they all knew how his personality worked, very well. Thunder was one, who hid his feelings, but he really cared more deeply then many other sentient creatures Score had run into. He considered Thunder to be one of his closest friends, just like Helaine with Flame and Pixel with Nova. There was a special bond between unicorn and human teenager.  
  
There was eight total at Score's party that day; Score (of course), Pixel (do you think our favorite blue guy would miss it), Flame, Nova, Thunder (see, he does have a caring bone in his body), Shanara (she's that sorceress woman who helped the three), and Helaine (still doesn't know about Score little private show of her bath hour). Of course, Helaine had not arrived yet, but she was expected. Flame was getting antsy, but nothing could be done until everyone was here.  
  
"I'm here," a feminine voice snapped from one of the doorways to the "living room," at least that's what Score called it. It was the large central room where they had placed a couple of pieces of furniture and a large rug by the fireplace. The room was actually much bigger, but the extra space was used every once in a while for different activities.  
  
Score dreaded this moment; he still remembered very vividly the events of earlier that afternoon. This was no time to admit to Helaine what he had seen. You've just got to do this man, he said to himself and turned around.  
  
"What the hell did you do? Where did you stash the real Helaine?" Score shot out before he even thought about it. When he did he realized that he was probably in trouble, Helaine's legendary temper was something he could not match.  
  
"I thought a change would be nice," Helaine said quietly and shrugged. Score did not call what Helaine was wearing a change, oh no, it was a complete reversal of her old self. Helaine was in a dress, Score had been positive the young woman hadn't owned one, he had guessed she probably did not know how to even put one on. He had always imagined that she would end up with all the wrong limbs in the wrong holes, but somehow, probably by some divine miracle, Helaine's dress fit so perfectly to her slim, muscular body. Score looked suspiciously over at the beautiful sorceress, Shanara, but the older woman didn't even waver her eyes at him. Score knew that Shanara had something to do with Helaine's costume.  
  
Score might have been able to deal with Helaine in a dress, but not this one. Score had always figured if she was crazy enough to do it she would wear one of those big, multi-layered, can't show one inch of indecent skin dresses that the women on her planet wore, but this dress did not fall into any of those categories. Score had been stupid, of course, Helaine had been to many different planets and seen a wide variety of clothing, she had probably picked the style and cut she liked best and, damit, it looked so good on her. First of all it was black and the length was short, the sexiest combination ever. It was loose, but was snug and fitting in just the right places. The straps were thin and crisscrossed in the open back area. She didn't show a lot of cleavage, just enough to make a guy wonder and it did leave Score in a stupor of wondering, of course, he had seen her naked, but that didn't matter. Score almost enjoyed her in that dress better then naked.  
  
"I think you look fantastic," Pixel reassured the evidently nervous Helaine. The young warrior woman smiled at Pixel.  
  
Hey, you frelling little punk, keep your beady little eyes off her, Score thought savagely at Pixel, but then caught himself, what was he doing? Helaine was a sister, Helaine was a sister, Helaine was a sister...Helaine was a sexy hot bitch! Calm down, Score,  
  
Stop it Score, he demanded and his inner demons calmed down for a breather. But he still couldn't take his eyes off of Helaine.  
  
*Now Score can open his gifts! * Flame said excitedly. No one else seemed to think twice about Helaine's wardrobe, but Score just could not stop staring. What did everyone know that Helaine would pull a stunt like this? Was the joke on him?  
  
"Open mine first," Shanara said like a little girl would and smiled at Score. He weakly smiled back, but still it seemed that he had a hard time keeping his eyes off Helaine.  
  
Score opened all the gifts. A new precious jewel from Shanara to help with his magical abilities, some manga melons from the unicorns (his favorite food since discovering them on Dondar, a manga melon could easily beat out New York chili dogs), and a video game that Pixel could have only have gotten if he had visited Earth recently. Score was surprised that the other boy would go to the trouble of getting him such a gift, but was appreciative.  
  
He noticed that Helaine had not given him anything. For a few moments he forgot about everything that had happened with her and asked one of his trademark rude questions.  
  
"Hey, Helaine, where's your present?" he blurted out. Score is an idiot sometimes, no if, and, or but about that. If his body would have bent in the way some of those gymnastic people's could he would have kicked himself right down to some Christian hell.  
  
"I thought I'd save mine for last," Helaine said sweetly, but her same hard edge was still evident in her voice. That was comforting, sort of. From behind her she pulled out a small box and handed it to him.  
  
Score ripped open the wrapping paper and tore open the box to reveal a silver ring etched with old looking runes and a dragon's body on the round band. The dragon had one eye peering up at him, in the silver there was a small emerald enclosed.  
  
"Where'd you get it?" Score questioned suspiciously. A look of hurt swept across her face, but Score didn't notice. All he could think of was why cold acting Helaine had given him said an extraordinary gift. It most have been expensive, Score was no expert, but he knew that a talented jewel smith had done this.  
  
"If you don't like it, I can give you something else," Helaine said quickly then added, "maybe, a video game or something else from Earth like Pixel gave you."  
  
"It's fine," Score snapped, defensive. Why was Helaine acting so strange? Was it because she had waited until the last minute and then found the ring in her jewelry box or was it something else. Anyway, he didn't like it; he wanted the old Helaine back. He actually missed her.  
  
"Maybe, we should start on dinner," Shanara said, clearly trying to ease the tension in the room. Everyone agreed and followed her to the dining hall. The rest of the evening Helaine was quite and withdrawn. Score felt guilty, but what had he done?  
  
Pixel watched Helaine's downcast face and then looked over at Score's fake smile. He had been trying to fool the rest by acting all happy, but deep down he was miserable. Score fooled Shanara and the unicorns, but Pixel had a gift for figuring things out and clearly Score was in a foul mood. Pixel looked over at Helaine again and knew she would be okay, but Score had hurt her and in turn he was hurt. Pixel would talk to the other boy later that evening.  
  
  
  
Score lay on his bed looking off into the distance when he heard a soft rapt on his door. He yelled for the person to come in and saw that it was Pixel.  
  
"Hey, Pix, whazzup, man?" Score drawled out. Pixel just smiled at the slang that Score used so carelessly. Over the years he had come to understand what the other guy was trying to say.  
  
"I just thought I would come by to tell you that you're a jerk," Pixel said lightly. He knew that Score was hurting, but he also knew that the only way Score would open up and tell Pixel anything is if he was angry.  
  
"What did I do?" Score asked, immediately jumping up from the bed. He shot Pixel the evil eye, but the other boy just stared him down. He knew how to handle Score.  
  
"Does a certain silver ring mean anything?" Pixel said sarcastically. Score was falling for it, he was clearly still angry, but when Pixel mentioned the ring his eyes got kind of sad, but he quickly covered up this lapse in composure.  
  
"Oh," was all Score could say at first, but then added, "that was nice of Helaine."  
  
"Are you dumb as well as a jerk? That ring had a lot of meaning to Helaine, it had been her father's, pasted on from father to son, ever since the first king. Her father had no son so hoped Helaine would pass it on to her son one day," Pixel explained slowly and carefully like Score was stupid. Sometimes he knew the other boy was just a bit dense.  
  
"Why'd she give it to me, then?" Score asked, puzzled.  
  
Pixel sighed loudly, but then continued, "She wanted you to have it, moron." Pixel had picked up a few words from Score.  
  
"Okay," Score said, not really understanding, "but what was with her odd behavior, the dress and all that."  
  
"If you don't get it. I am not going to explain it. For as long as I can remember Helaine has been subconsciously trying to get your attention, only recently has she admitted to herself what she is doing. The ring was part of that," Pixel told Score.  
  
"I saw her nude," Score blurted out. He knew he was just like the moron Pixel had called him, but he also knew that he felt better about telling someone about that little incident. Pixel was the most intelligent guy he knew, maybe, he would have some idea on how Score could calm his nerves and act normal around Helaine. Anyway  
  
he was sick of all of Pixel's confusing words. He knew if he tried to work them out he would understand, but did he really want to? If Helaine's weird behavior and his meant anything, well, it would change his world and he like the way his life was going.  
  
"What?!" Pixel exclaimed, not knowing what to think. Score had seen Helaine nude, was he a pervert? Pixel knew he made some pretty sick comments every once in a while, but Score wasn't a peeping tom.  
  
"I was walking and I accidentally came across Helaine bathing in the river. It was quite disturbing and then tonight she had to dress up like a woman and not some tomboy sister-like person she usually is," Score explained. Pixel nodded in understanding. Finally, he knew where Score was coming from.  
  
"I guess I never even realized she had...you know... those," Score said, turning red and pointing to his own chest in example. He usually had no trouble taking about a woman's breasts, but to talk about Helaine in that way was embarrassing.  
  
"You mean you've never noticed that Helaine is a woman?" Pixel asked surprised. Was Score blind? Maybe, he was into something else...Nay, the guy was always talking about girls and he drooled over every half-decent looking one they came across.  
  
"We are talking about Helaine!" Score said in his defense, but he knew it was pretty weak.  
  
"Let me get this straight. You mean to tell me that you have never thought about Helaine as anything besides a friend? No erotic dreams? Not once even picturing what she looked like underneath her clothes?" Pixel questioned and Score shook his head in embarrassment. He knew that until that day he had never even thought of Helaine in any romantic way.  
  
"Even I've the occasional daydream, especially when she is training. You know when her loose fitting tunic is draped low and she is leaning forward. She never wears a..."  
  
"Enough!" Score yelled. Pixel shushed, but a grin appeared on his face. He couldn't believe Score was acting like this, who was the shy one now?  
  
"Don't worry, Score, I've talked with Helaine, we both admit we don't have any feeling for each other. We are just best friends, nothing else, nothing more," Pixel reassured.  
  
"Why would I care if you and Helaine were together," Score said defensively. Pixel was surprised, Score still didn't get it. Pixel looked into Score's dark eyes and saw something in them he only saw once in a while at the height of one of their battles, fear. Score was afraid of his own emotions. Pixel knew he was treading on dangerous ground and would need to travel slowly from here on out. He knew what Helaine felt towards Score and now he had finally figured out that Score mirrored her feelings. Score just needed the right push.  
  
"Why should you?" Pixel agreed and shrugged. "Helaine loves..."  
  
"Don't say it," Score warned. If the red headed boy did not say it, if it was never spoken at all, then it would not be true and Score could go on with his merry life, talking to himself and answering himself. Those were easy things to do. He could go on his nature walks and think he was the best thing ever to be born in a million mile radius. He didn't need change, Helaine was change.  
  
"Helaine gave you that ring as a last option, Score, if you don't feel the same way then I suggest you give it back," Pixel told his friend, icily. He had finally had enough of Score; he needed to think of someone else beside himself for once.  
  
"This makes no sense, Pixel, Helaine is always so snobby and stuck up. She's some Earl, Duke, Lord's daughter! I always forget. She could go home and marry some witless handsome dandy well endowed with a whole lot of moola," Score voiced his frustration.  
  
"She could do that," Pixel agreed slowly. "There are reasons why she's still around and not all of them are that the three of us make a good team. Every one of our close friends has guessed how she feels, but you are the enigma. Nobody knows if you are the low level scum about women you act as or if you actually have a tender bone in your body. It hurts all of us to see Helaine try so hard, but until today you were completely unaware of it."  
  
"Pixel," Score whispered, the pain evident in his voice," you've got to tell me what to do, please help me. You're the one who has the power to figure things out."  
  
"I can't, I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you what to do. I know what I feel that you should do, but it is your decision," Pixel said sadly and turned to exit Score's bedroom. Score needed time and Pixel was going to give it to him.  
  
"Pix?" Score said just as the other guy was about to leave.  
  
"Yes," Pixel answered, but didn't turn around.  
  
"Be patient," was all Score said. What an odd thing for him to say, so unlike him, so unlike his usual character. Score was the gung ho man, the one who raced into a mess without thinking and now he was willing to think things through. Pixel realized then that Score would never deliberately hurt Helaine. Pixel left knowing that Score would be able to handle things without a third party.  
  
When Score was alone he wondered over to the bathroom. He stripped down and hopped into the shower, his best thinking place. A few years back the three had learned how to install running water, all the comforts of home.  
  
As the hot water poured over his body, he looked down at his thumb where a silver ring rested. He decided he would wear it, a symbol for Helaine. Maybe, something would happen, maybe.  
  
He forgot about how beautiful Helaine was and thought of her other qualities. She was loyal, brave, smart, kind when necessary, a bit rough, and blunt. So many feelings swept over him. He knew what he wanted to happen; right now he wished Helaine was in the shower with him.  
  
Score was sixteen. Earlier that day he had felt so old and mature, right now all he felt was young and confused. He realized he had years to think of love; right now Helaine would just have to be patient.  
  
  
  
*Author Notes* I finished this in two and a half hours, must be a record, at least for me. I hope that a few people will read this story. I always wished that John Peel would have continued on with the Diadem series, oh well, we'll just have to finish it for him...  
  
*Hel thinks of what she could have done in the shower with Score. As she realizes her listeners are reading she reaches for her brown paper bag, but mean Bastet switched it with a blue plastic one. Hel does not realize this and puts it on her head anyway. Oh fuck, she can't breathe and the damn thing won't come off. Bastet smiles evilly from around the corner. Hel tries to scream help, but only sucks up the plastic bag...* @_@  
  
*Bastet: I'm not going to kill Hel. Just leave her a bit out of breath. Next time she kicks one of my cats...*  
  
R&R 


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